Envelop



(No Model.) i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. G. BUTTON.

ENVELOP.

v NG- 586,115. Patented July 13, 1897.v

' (No` Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. B. G. BUTTON.

BNVBLOP.

No. 586,115. Patented July 13, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN GRAVES BUTTON, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

ENVELOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,115, dated July 13,1897.

Application filed April 15, 1896. Serial No. 587,712. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concer-n:

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN GEAvEs BUT- l TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Envelop, of which the following is aspecilication.

My invention relates to envelops, and has for its object to providemeans for securing the same in all of its parts against tampering, thesame being adapted to be fastened with facility.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

1n the drawings, Figure l is a View of an envelop constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing thetop or covering flap released and raised. Fig. 3 is a view showing thebottom flap folded outwardly from the end iiaps to illustrate the mannerof threading the fastening-strip therethrough. Fig. 4 is a View of aslightly-modified form of the envelop with the bottom flap foldedoutwardly to illustrate the manner of arranging the fastening-strip.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor-- the bottom flap inalinement, respectively,

with the inner slits or openings 5, and thus the portion of the stripbetween the slits 7 is exposed at the outer side of the bottom flap 2and the portions of the strip between the slits 5 and 6 are arrangedwithin the envelop or between the planes of the end flaps and the bodyportion of the envelop and are shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

When the fastening-strip is drawn taut after threading through theopenings 5, 6, and

7, as above described, the envelop is arrangedas shown in Fig. 2, andwhen it is desired to close the same the top or covering flap 1 isfolded over the bottom and end flaps and the end portions of the stripare carried over the extremities of the top flap and are threadedthrough the contiguous parallel slits or openings 8, formed in pairsnear the ends of said flap. The extremities of the fastening-strip areadapted to be overlapped at the center of the top iiap, as illustratedin Fig. l, and secured by means of a seal, which may or may not extendthrough the body of the envelop, as desired.

It will be seen that the fastening-strip extends through each iiap ofthe envelop at two or more points, andinasmuch as the strip iscontinuous it may be manufactured at a small cost and separate from thebody portion of the envelop.

v In themodified construction illustrated in Fig. 4 the fastening-strip4, instead of being threaded through slits or openings in the inner endsof the end liaps and through the center of the bottom iiap, ispreferably secured by means of pasteor adhesive material to the innersurface of the body portion of the blank, as indicated. The sides of thestrip are extended through slits 6a near the outer ends of the end flapsand through corresponding registering slits 7EL near the extremities ofthe bottom flap. The extremities of the strip are engaged with the topor covering flap in the manner described in lconnection with the form ofenvelop illustrated in Figs. l to 3. In this, as in the preferred formof the envelop, the fastening-strip ex` tends through each of the flapsof the envelop, and an important advantage of this construction residesin the fact that the strip extends around the contents of the envelopand thus materially strengthens the envelop.

A cross-sectionally flat fastening-strip may be made of the requisitestrength with. the minimum thickness, thus adapting the parallelslits,through which said strip is threaded, to be arranged with theirextremities in common planes, whereby the front and rear sides of thestrip may occupy positions with their corresponding (upper and lower)edges in common transverse planes without adding objectionably to thethickness of the pack= IOO age, and this arrangement of the strip isdesirable in that it simplifies the application of the strip, enables itto be constructed of the minimum length, and avoids the risk of tearingout the slits or openings through which it extends.

An important feature of the construction above described resides in thefact that the fastening-strip in both forms of the envelop which areillustrated in the drawings engages the end and bottom flaps of thereceptacle, its engagement withl the end Iiaps being at points beyondthe terminal edges of the covering-lap, and then passes inwardly oversaid terminal edges of the covering-flap to hold said edges in contactwith the end iiaps and prevent the same from being turned up. Saidfastening-strip also engages the covering-Hap at intermediate points bypassing through L vided near its center with slits oropenings 7 twincontiguous slits therein, and has itsextremities overlapped at thecenter of the covering-lap and in contact with its outer-surface andsecured by a suitable seal.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacricing any of the advantages ofv this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. An envelop havingoverlappin g top, bottom and end iiaps provided with openings, and afastening-strip threaded through open,- ings in the end and bottomIiaps, its points of engagement with the end flaps being beyond theterminal edges of the top ap, passing inwardly over Said terminal edgesof the j top flap, engaging intermediate openings in thev top ap, andhaving its extremities overy with inner and outer slits or openings,abottom lap provided with slits or openings regl isteri-ng with theinner slits of the end iiaps, a top iiap adapted to fold over said endand bottom iiaps, and a fastening-strip threaded at its looped centerthrough the registering slits or openings in the bottom and end aps,extending outwardly upon opposite sides of its center and through theouter slits of the end flaps, and folded inwardly and engaged at itsextremities with the top flap, substantially as specied.

3. An envelop having abottom lapproend flaps provided with inner andouter slits or openings 5 and 6, the former of which register with theslits 7, a top flap provided with twin parallel slits 8, and afastening-strip threaded through the slits 5, 6 and 7, passing aroundthe ends of the top flap, threaded through the twin slits 8, andterminally secured to the exterior surface of the top flap,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN GRAVES BUTTON.

Vitnesses:

NATHAN C. SIMMONS, WM. C. Esrnn.

